So Movies Approved by the AHA Are OK, Right?

You are no doubt familiar with the movie disclaimer, ‘No animals were harmed...’ by the American Humane Association. Now a former AHA employee, Barbara Casey, who worked on the set of the now-cancelled horse-racing drama, Luck, has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was terminated after she refused orders to ignore animal safety standards in order to save time and money. Casey is suing the AHA, HBO, and the production company, Stewart Productions, alleging that they ALL allowed horses to be abused — four died — and tried to cover it up. Her lawsuit is bolstered by graphic photographs, which I am not including as I would like you to continue reading. The lawsuit describes several other instances in which the AHA’s lack of concern for animal welfare led to severe injuries and death. As you know, a total of 27 animals died during the making of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. In spite of this, the AHA’s message still ran at the end: “American Humane monitored all of the significant animal action. No animals were harmed during such action.” (The fact that this may be nominally true, as the animals apparently died due to negligence while NOT being filmed, doesn’t make it better). The AHA is supported financially by the film and TV industry, and has evidently gone over, at least partially, to the Dark Side. The only truly cruelty-free movies are those using no animals at all.